UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher’s Name: Miss Pulito Lesson #: 4 Facets: Application & Explanation Grade Level: 11-12 Numbers of Days: 5-7 Topic:Walden
PART I:
Objectives
Student will understand that Thoreau uses his personal experience at Walden Pond to help him convey this purpose.
Student will know that Thoreau’s personal experience is a valuable tool that aids the persuasive nature of Walden.
Student will be able to consider their own personal lives and experiences in relation to Thoreau’s experience in Walden by creating a timeline of their own lives and touching upon themes that they can relate to. Students will also reflect on how one or more of the themes found in Walden connect to their own personal experiences.
Products: Interactive Timeline and an iMovie.
Maine Learning Results (MLR) or Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment
Common Core State Standards Content Area: English Grade Level: 11-12 Domain: Reading Standards for Informational Texts 6-12 Cluster: Craft & Structure Standard: 6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Rationale: This lesson will encourage students to consider an author’s personal experience and point of view as a valuable tool. Students will draw connections between Thoreau’s experiences and their own lives to help them understand the value of Thoreau’s point of view.
Assessments
Formative (Assessment for Learning)
Section I – checking for understanding during instruction: Students will participate in a gallery walk after drafting their timelines and they will have a conference with the teacher about their iMovie before they begin creating it.
Section II – timely feedback for products (self, peer, teacher): Students will give peer feedback on each other’s iMovies and the teacher will give each student individual feedback. Students will also fill out a reflective survey after completing their iMovies as a form of self-assessment.
Summative (Assessment of Learning):
Interactive timeline (30pts): Students will create a timeline of Thoreau's experience at Walden Pond along with a timeline of their own lives, paying particular attention to experiences/themes that are found in the text that also relate to at least one aspect of their own lives/experience. They will then focus on this similar theme and elaborate on it in the next benchmark, the iMovie.
iMovie (80pts): Students will document their own "transcendental" experience in an iMovie. They will chose at least one theme from Walden that they can somehow connect to their own life/experience and explain this connection in the iMovie.
Integration
Technology:
Interactive Timeline: Students will create two interactive timelines using HSTRY. One timeline will focus on Thoreau’s experience at Walden Pond and the other will highlight experiences in their own lives that somehow relate to Thoreau’s experiences and/or major themes of Walden(Augmentation).
iMovie: Students will use iMovie to document their own “transcendental” experience based on at least one theme from Walden(Modification).
Walden simulation/video game: Students will “be” Thoreau in a virtual environment that is designed to mimic the book (Redefinition).
Content Areas: History: Students may want to include important historical events in their timelines to show the effects such events had on their lives or on Thoreau’s life.
Groupings
Section I - Graphic Organizer & Cooperative Learning used during instruction: Students will use timeline graphic organizers to draft out their ideas before putting them into the interactive timeline. Students will collaborate in drafting Thoreau’s experiences into timelines using the Rally Table method.
Section II – Groups and Roles for Product: Students will work in small groups to make Thoreau’s timeline and to help with the brainstorming process. They will work individually on their own timelines and iMovies.
Differentiated Instruction
MI Strategies
Verbal: Students will continue reading Walden on their own, focusing on the final chapter, "Conclusion."
Visual: Students will create a timelines and an iMovie.
Musical: Students may include music in their iMovies.
Kinesthestic: Students will move around while participating in the gallery walk and they have the option to film themselves doing something active for their iMovie.
Intrapersonal: Students will work on their own to create their iMovies and will continue reading and reflecting in their blog posts.
Interpersonal: Students will work in groups to create Thoreau's timeline.
Naturalist: Students will be exposed to Thoreau's observations of and discussions about nature within the context of Walden.
Modifications/Accommodations From IEP’s ( Individual Education Plan), 504’s, ELLIDEP (English Language Learning Instructional Delivery Education Plan) I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations.
Plan for accommodating absent students: It is the student's responsibility to contact the teacher regarding their absence. If the absence is anticipated, the student should plan accordingly and meet with teacher ahead of time to go over what needs to be completed before they return to school. If the absence is unexpected, the student should (1) email the teacher and (2) meet with the teacher in person as soon as he or she is back in school. The teacher is willing to work with students to make sure that they stay up to date with assignments and will provide extensions as deemed fair and necessary. Students are responsible for getting notes from classmates and for checking the class Wiki upon being absent. The teacher understands that absences (preferably excused) are expected from time to time, but if unexcused absences become continuous and habitual the student will be expected to have a one-on-one meeting with the teacher.
Extensions
Type II technology: Students will create two interactive timelines using HSTRY (Augmentation) and create an iMovie (Modification). Using a Walden simulation/video game,Students will “be” Thoreau in a virtual environment that is designed to mimic the book (Redefinition).
Gifted Students: Gifted students will be asked to include videos in their timelines and to comment on one another’s timelines.
Materials, Resources and Technology
Copies of Walden
Laptops with connection to the internet and iMovie software installed
Projector
Copies of graphic organizers/timeline rough drafts
Describe your classroom arrangement. The tables will be arranged in a horseshoe formation so that the students can see each other during discussion. Everyone will be able to see the board and projector. There will be designated quiet spaces for students to work individually when they need to or want to. The teacher's desk will be in a private corner, out of the way.
Agenda (include days and times) *Each class period is 80 minutes long
DAY 1:
Introduce students to Walden the video game/simulation and let them play around with it. Have a brief discussion about what they can learn from the game and how it helped them gain perspective to Thoreau’s experiences (20 mins).
Introduce timeline assignment (10 mins).
Divide students into groups to begin drafting Thoreau’s timeline using graphic organizers and the Rally Table method (30 mins).
Students participate in a Gallery Walk in which they will view what each group came up with and to gain ideas of things they might want to add to theirs (20 mins).
Assignment: Read “Conclusion” and post blog entry. Begin drafting individual timelines.
DAY 2:
Discussion on previous night’s reading assignment, “Conclusion,” in groups then as a class (30 mins).
Provide a tutorial on HSTRY and get student accounts set up (15 mins).
Give students class time to work on completing their timeline drafts and to begin creating their HSTRY interactive timelines (35 mins).
Assignment: Finish up timelines on HSTRY.
DAY 3:
Gallery Walk of completed timelines (20 mins).
Introduce iMovie assignment; class discussion over themes from Walden that would be relevant to include in their iMovies (20 mins).
Provide a tutorial on how to use iMovie (10 mins).
Give students class time to start their iMovies (30 mins).
Assignment: Continue working on iMovie.
DAY 4:
Class time to work on iMovies and for teacher/peer assistance. Teacher will also conference with students individually to provide feedback and to make sure they are on track (80 mins).
Assignment: Continue working on iMovie.
DAY 5:
Class time to work on iMovies and for teacher/peer assistance and conferences (80 mins).
Assignment: Finish iMovie.
DAY 6:
iMovie presentations and collection of feedback (80 mins).
DAY 7:
iMovie presentations and collection of feedback (80 mins).
Teaching and Learning Sequence
Students will understand that Thoreau uses his personal experience at Walden Pond to help him convey his purpose. It is important for students to recognize the influence that personal experience and reflection have on both writing and personal growth and development. Students will determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text. Students will play around with a video game/simulation of //Walden//to help them gain perspective of his experiences. They will then participate in a brief class discussion about what they thought about the game and how it may have helped them gain perspective and to understand the value of first-hand experience. Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailors: Verbal/linguistic, Visual, Logic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist
Students will know that Thoreau’s personal experience is a valuable tool which aids the persuasive nature of Walden. Students will use two timeline graphic organizers on which they will draft (1) a timeline of Thoreau’s experience in Walden (they will complete this timeline in groups using the Rally Table method) and (2) a timeline of their own lives (which they will complete independently). After drafting Thoreau’s timelines in small groups, students will participate in a Gallery Walk in which they will view what each group came up with on their Thoreau timelines. The Gallery Walk will give students the opportunity to see if they missed anything important based on what their peers included in their timelines. Students will then transfer the content they have in their drafts onto two different interactive timelines (one timeline for Thoreau, one for their own life) using HSTRY.
Students will be able to consider their own personal lives/experiences in relation to Thoreau’s experience in Walden by creating a timeline of their own lives and touching upon themes that they can relate to. They will them choose at least one theme that relates to their lives and document it in an iMovie, reflecting on how much of what Thoreau discovers and experiences in Walden is universal to the human condition and existence. After completing and interactive timeline for Thoreau (in groups) and one of their own lives (individually), students will make an iMovie that connects at least one aspect of their own personal lives/journeys to a theme found in Walden. Students will come up with a list of themes as a class and the teacher will conference with each student individually during independent work time to approve iMovie topics, answer questions, and provide feedback during the work process. After the iMovies are complete, each student will present their own and receive written feedback from their peers and teacher. They will also fill out their own self-evaluation and a reflection on the project. Experience, Revise, Refine, Tailors: Verbal/linguistic, Visual, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist, Musical, Kinesthetic
The teacher will guide students through the iMovie project by conferencing with them individually at least once each and then more as needed. After presenting their iMovie, each student will receive written peer feedback and written feedback from the teacher. The teacher and students will fill out these evaluations during each presentation so that the feedback can be immediate. The teacher will use a rubric to grade the iMovie and a checklist to grade the timelines. Students will receive feedback from the teacher on their timelines before going onto the iMovie project. Students will also fill out self-evaluations at the conclusion of the lesson. This lesson acts as a wrap-up to unit in that its goal is to have students look at the “big picture” by picking out major themes found in Walden and to consider and explore how many of these themes are universal and can connect to their own individual lives, thus emphasizing the importance of personal experience and point of view.
Student will knowthat Thoreau’s personal experience is a valuable tool which aids the persuasive nature of Walden.
Sub Notes:
In order to teach this lesson, you will need a general understanding of who Thoreau was and what Transcendentalism was. Here is a link that provides a brief biography of Henry David Thoreau: http://www.biography.com/people/henry-david-thoreau-9506784. Here is a link that describes the basics of transcendentalism: http://www.ushistory.org/us/26f.asp. If you have never read Walden yourself, here is a SparkNotes version of the book that includes chapter summaries, analyses, and common themes/motifs. Reading through the SparkNotes version will help you to guide discussions and to help you understand where the students are headed: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/walden/.
You may want to familiarize yourself with the Walden video game/simulation before you introduce it to the students.
Day 2 of the lesson will begin with a discussion on the assigned reading from the previous night. Before holding a class discussion, students should first meet either in pairs or small groups for 5-10 minutes to “warm up” and share their insights to the text. This way students will have a chance to organize their thoughts before the class-wide discussion in more comfortable setting (thus making the class-wide discussion more effective). Discussions on the text should be mostly student-led with the teacher listening attentively (checking for their understanding) and occasionally guiding/facilitating (when students get off topic or if the discussion is withering) to ensure that all important points are covered. Make sure that emphasis is placed on the value of personal experience and point of view. Here is a list of discussion questions/topics for “Conclusion”:
How would you describe the relationship between Thoreau and his readers in this final chapter?
Describe the rhetoric Thoreau uses in “Conclusion.” How is similar to or different from the rhetoric in previous chapters? What purpose does it serve?
Where do you see the theme of self-reliance within the chapter?
Focus on the paragraph that begins with “I left the woods for as goof a reason as I went there.” How can we make sense of this paragraph?
What does Thoreau mean when he says that “The volatile truth of our words should continually betray the inadequacy of the residual statement?”
Describe Thoreau’s tone throughout the chapter.
What does Thoreau have to say about individuality? About conformity? About routine?
What do you think Thoreau’s final message is?
When creating discussion groups, make sure they are randomized so that students are exposed to different ideas each day. Here is a link that provides ideas for randomizing student groups: http://www.teachhub.com/30-ways-arrange-students-group-work. You may also use one of these strategies for determining timeline drafting groups.
Here is a link to a tutorial on how to use HSTRY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVbQ6q6DMsY Here is a link to a tutorial on how to use iMovie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J79_0h3ozS Once students become familiar with these programs, they will be working independently (unless they are working in groups on Thoreau’s timeline) and may have questions. Make sure you are available to help them out and to provide feedback.
Handouts
Timeline graphic organizers
Timeline evaluation checklists
iMovie rubrics
Self-evaluation forms
Maine Common Core Teaching Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale
Standard 1 – Learner Development. The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
Learning Styles
Clipboard: Students will be provided with a syllabus that outlines course/unit expectations and assignments. Students will be provided with clear directions and dates regarding assignments. They will also use graphic organizers to help them plan their interactive timelines and iMovie.
Microscope: Students will pay close attention to both the content and language of Walden, analyzing how both elements contribute to the overall meaning of the text. They will be asked to do “close readings” in which they examine very small portions of the text, sometimes only focusing on single words or sentences at a time, then discussing how those smaller elements contribute to the “big picture” or major themes of the text. In this lesson, students will focus on specific events within the book that contribute to Thoreau’s experience and point of view.
Puppy: Students will work in pairs or in small groups before being asked to participate in class-wide discussions. This will give them the opportunity to share their thoughts in a “less intimidating” situation before opening up to the entire class. Students will also work in small groups to create Thoreau’s timeline, and the teacher will circulate the room while students are working to answer questions and provide feedback as well as positive reinforcement. The teacher will “check in” with students regularly throughout the unit, both through email and in person, recognizing that some students may need extra support.
Beach Ball: Students will have opportunities to focus on whichever passages/portions of the text they feel are most interesting and significant. Walden is a complex piece of literature that appeals to many on the individual level, as it honors and promotes independent thinking and autonomy. In this particular lesson, students will have a lot of freedom in brainstorming and designing their individual iMovies.
Rationale: Not all students learn in the same way, and that’s part of what makes a classroom such a creative, inspiring place! No student should feel forced to learn in a way that is not conducive to their needs or personality, which is why this unit is designed in a way that leaves room for all learning styles to be practiced.
Standard 6 -Assessment. The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their on growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher's and learner's decision making.
Formative: Students will draft their timelines using graphic organizers and then participate in a Gallery Walk to compare timelines and to check for understanding. Students will also continue posting blog entries.
Summative: Students will create two interactive timelines using HSTRY; in groups, they will highlight Thoreau’s experiences in Walden in a timeline and then they will work individually to create a timeline that highlights events in their own lives. They will compare the two timelines and then create an iMovie that focuses on a least one theme/commonality between their experience and Thoreau’s experience.
Rationale: This lesson will help students draw a connection between their own experiences and Thoreau’s experiences, helping them to understand the universality of the book’s themes as well as how Thoreau’s personal experiences and point of view lends to the power of the text.
Standard 7 - Planning Instruction. The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
Content Knowledge: (see content notes)
MLR or CCSS: Common Core State Standards Content Area: English Grade Level: 11-12 Domain: Reading Standards for Informational Texts 6-12 Cluster: Craft & Structure Standard: 6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Facet: Empathy and Self-Knowledge
Standard 8 -Instructional Strategies. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
MI Strategies:
Verbal: Students will continue reading Walden on their own, focusing on the final chapter, "Conclusion."
Visual: Students will create timelines and an iMovie.
Musical: Students may include music in their iMovies.
Kinesthestic: Students will move around while participating in the gallery walk and they have the option to film themselves doing something active for their iMovie.
Intrapersonal: Students will work on their own to create their iMovies and will continue reading and reflecting in their blog posts.
Interpersonal: Students will work in groups to create Thoreau's timeline.
Naturalist: Students will be exposed to Thoreau's observations of and discussions about nature within the context of Walden.
SAMR: Students will create two interactive timelines using HSTRY (Augmentation) as well as create an iMovie (Modification). Furthermore, students will use a simulator/video game of Walden as the lesson’s hook (Redefinition).
Rationale: Students will be able to include text, images, video, and sound as well and change the theme of their interactive timelines. With iMovie, they will be able to include live video footage as well as still images, text, and audio. The Walden game will allow them to “be” Thoreau in a virtual environment.
NETS STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS
1.Facilitates and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Rationale: 1 a,b,c: Students will be encouraged to think innovatively and inventively while playing the Walden video game as well as when creating their iMovies. They will explore real-world issues (in direct relation to their own lives) while planning and creating their iMovies. Students will reflect upon each of these experiences and processes.
2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS-S.
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching
Rationale: 2 a, b, d: Students will use a variety of digital tools to promote learning and creativity. Students will assess their own progress by completing self-evaluations at the conclusion of the lesson, and they will be provided with two forms of summative assessment (timeline and iMovie) in this lesson.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher’s Name: Miss Pulito Lesson #: 4 Facets: Application & Explanation
Grade Level: 11-12 Numbers of Days: 5-7
Topic:Walden
PART I:
Objectives
Student will understand that Thoreau uses his personal experience at Walden Pond to help him convey this purpose.
Student will know that Thoreau’s personal experience is a valuable tool that aids the persuasive nature of Walden.
Student will be able to consider their own personal lives and experiences in relation to Thoreau’s experience in Walden by creating a timeline of their own lives and touching upon themes that they can relate to. Students will also reflect on how one or more of the themes found in Walden connect to their own personal experiences.
Products: Interactive Timeline and an iMovie.
Maine Learning Results (MLR) or Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment
Common Core State Standards
Content Area: English
Grade Level: 11-12
Domain: Reading Standards for Informational Texts 6-12
Cluster: Craft & Structure
Standard: 6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Rationale: This lesson will encourage students to consider an author’s personal experience and point of view as a valuable tool. Students will draw connections between Thoreau’s experiences and their own lives to help them understand the value of Thoreau’s point of view.
Assessments
Formative (Assessment for Learning)
Section I – checking for understanding during instruction: Students will participate in a gallery walk after drafting their timelines and they will have a conference with the teacher about their iMovie before they begin creating it.
Section II – timely feedback for products (self, peer, teacher): Students will give peer feedback on each other’s iMovies and the teacher will give each student individual feedback. Students will also fill out a reflective survey after completing their iMovies as a form of self-assessment.
Summative (Assessment of Learning):
Interactive timeline (30pts): Students will create a timeline of Thoreau's experience at Walden Pond along with a timeline of their own lives, paying particular attention to experiences/themes that are found in the text that also relate to at least one aspect of their own lives/experience. They will then focus on this similar theme and elaborate on it in the next benchmark, the iMovie.
iMovie (80pts): Students will document their own "transcendental" experience in an iMovie. They will chose at least one theme from Walden that they can somehow connect to their own life/experience and explain this connection in the iMovie.
Integration
Technology:
Content Areas: History: Students may want to include important historical events in their timelines to show the effects such events had on their lives or on Thoreau’s life.
Groupings
Section I - Graphic Organizer & Cooperative Learning used during instruction: Students will use timeline graphic organizers to draft out their ideas before putting them into the interactive timeline. Students will collaborate in drafting Thoreau’s experiences into timelines using the Rally Table method.
Section II – Groups and Roles for Product: Students will work in small groups to make Thoreau’s timeline and to help with the brainstorming process. They will work individually on their own timelines and iMovies.
Differentiated Instruction
MI Strategies
Verbal: Students will continue reading Walden on their own, focusing on the final chapter, "Conclusion."
Visual: Students will create a timelines and an iMovie.
Musical: Students may include music in their iMovies.
Kinesthestic: Students will move around while participating in the gallery walk and they have the option to film themselves doing something active for their iMovie.
Intrapersonal: Students will work on their own to create their iMovies and will continue reading and reflecting in their blog posts.
Interpersonal: Students will work in groups to create Thoreau's timeline.
Naturalist: Students will be exposed to Thoreau's observations of and discussions about nature within the context of Walden.
Modifications/Accommodations
From IEP’s ( Individual Education Plan), 504’s, ELLIDEP (English Language Learning Instructional Delivery Education Plan) I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations.
Plan for accommodating absent students: It is the student's responsibility to contact the teacher regarding their absence. If the absence is anticipated, the student should plan accordingly and meet with teacher ahead of time to go over what needs to be completed before they return to school. If the absence is unexpected, the student should (1) email the teacher and (2) meet with the teacher in person as soon as he or she is back in school. The teacher is willing to work with students to make sure that they stay up to date with assignments and will provide extensions as deemed fair and necessary. Students are responsible for getting notes from classmates and for checking the class Wiki upon being absent. The teacher understands that absences (preferably excused) are expected from time to time, but if unexcused absences become continuous and habitual the student will be expected to have a one-on-one meeting with the teacher.
Extensions
Type II technology: Students will create two interactive timelines using HSTRY (Augmentation) and create an iMovie (Modification). Using a Walden simulation/video game,Students will “be” Thoreau in a virtual environment that is designed to mimic the book (Redefinition).
Gifted Students: Gifted students will be asked to include videos in their timelines and to comment on one another’s timelines.
Materials, Resources and Technology
Source for Lesson Plan and Research
PART II:
Teaching and Learning Sequence
Describe your classroom arrangement.
The tables will be arranged in a horseshoe formation so that the students can see each other during discussion. Everyone will be able to see the board and projector. There will be designated quiet spaces for students to work individually when they need to or want to. The teacher's desk will be in a private corner, out of the way.
Agenda (include days and times)
*Each class period is 80 minutes long
DAY 1:
DAY 2:
DAY 3:
DAY 4:
DAY 5:
DAY 6:
DAY 7:
Teaching and Learning Sequence
Students will understand that Thoreau uses his personal experience at Walden Pond to help him convey his purpose. It is important for students to recognize the influence that personal experience and reflection have on both writing and personal growth and development. Students will determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text. Students will play around with a video game/simulation of //Walden//to help them gain perspective of his experiences. They will then participate in a brief class discussion about what they thought about the game and how it may have helped them gain perspective and to understand the value of first-hand experience.
Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailors: Verbal/linguistic, Visual, Logic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist
Students will know that Thoreau’s personal experience is a valuable tool which aids the persuasive nature of Walden. Students will use two timeline graphic organizers on which they will draft (1) a timeline of Thoreau’s experience in Walden (they will complete this timeline in groups using the Rally Table method) and (2) a timeline of their own lives (which they will complete independently). After drafting Thoreau’s timelines in small groups, students will participate in a Gallery Walk in which they will view what each group came up with on their Thoreau timelines. The Gallery Walk will give students the opportunity to see if they missed anything important based on what their peers included in their timelines. Students will then transfer the content they have in their drafts onto two different interactive timelines (one timeline for Thoreau, one for their own life) using HSTRY.
Equip, Explore, Rethink, Tailors: Verbal/linguistic, Visual, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist
Students will be able to consider their own personal lives/experiences in relation to Thoreau’s experience in Walden by creating a timeline of their own lives and touching upon themes that they can relate to. They will them choose at least one theme that relates to their lives and document it in an iMovie, reflecting on how much of what Thoreau discovers and experiences in Walden is universal to the human condition and existence. After completing and interactive timeline for Thoreau (in groups) and one of their own lives (individually), students will make an iMovie that connects at least one aspect of their own personal lives/journeys to a theme found in Walden. Students will come up with a list of themes as a class and the teacher will conference with each student individually during independent work time to approve iMovie topics, answer questions, and provide feedback during the work process. After the iMovies are complete, each student will present their own and receive written feedback from their peers and teacher. They will also fill out their own self-evaluation and a reflection on the project.
Experience, Revise, Refine, Tailors: Verbal/linguistic, Visual, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist, Musical, Kinesthetic
The teacher will guide students through the iMovie project by conferencing with them individually at least once each and then more as needed. After presenting their iMovie, each student will receive written peer feedback and written feedback from the teacher. The teacher and students will fill out these evaluations during each presentation so that the feedback can be immediate. The teacher will use a rubric to grade the iMovie and a checklist to grade the timelines. Students will receive feedback from the teacher on their timelines before going onto the iMovie project. Students will also fill out self-evaluations at the conclusion of the lesson. This lesson acts as a wrap-up to unit in that its goal is to have students look at the “big picture” by picking out major themes found in Walden and to consider and explore how many of these themes are universal and can connect to their own individual lives, thus emphasizing the importance of personal experience and point of view.
Evaluate, Tailors: Verbal/linguistic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal
Content Notes
Student will knowthat Thoreau’s personal experience is a valuable tool which aids the persuasive nature of Walden.
Sub Notes:
In order to teach this lesson, you will need a general understanding of who Thoreau was and what Transcendentalism was. Here is a link that provides a brief biography of Henry David Thoreau: http://www.biography.com/people/henry-david-thoreau-9506784.
Here is a link that describes the basics of transcendentalism: http://www.ushistory.org/us/26f.asp.
If you have never read Walden yourself, here is a SparkNotes version of the book that includes chapter summaries, analyses, and common themes/motifs. Reading through the SparkNotes version will help you to guide discussions and to help you understand where the students are headed: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/walden/.
You may want to familiarize yourself with the Walden video game/simulation before you introduce it to the students.
Day 2 of the lesson will begin with a discussion on the assigned reading from the previous night. Before holding a class discussion, students should first meet either in pairs or small groups for 5-10 minutes to “warm up” and share their insights to the text. This way students will have a chance to organize their thoughts before the class-wide discussion in more comfortable setting (thus making the class-wide discussion more effective). Discussions on the text should be mostly student-led with the teacher listening attentively (checking for their understanding) and occasionally guiding/facilitating (when students get off topic or if the discussion is withering) to ensure that all important points are covered. Make sure that emphasis is placed on the value of personal experience and point of view. Here is a list of discussion questions/topics for “Conclusion”:
When creating discussion groups, make sure they are randomized so that students are exposed to different ideas each day. Here is a link that provides ideas for randomizing student groups: http://www.teachhub.com/30-ways-arrange-students-group-work. You may also use one of these strategies for determining timeline drafting groups.
Here is a link to a tutorial on how to use HSTRY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVbQ6q6DMsY
Here is a link to a tutorial on how to use iMovie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J79_0h3ozS
Once students become familiar with these programs, they will be working independently (unless they are working in groups on Thoreau’s timeline) and may have questions. Make sure you are available to help them out and to provide feedback.
Handouts
Maine Common Core Teaching Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale
Standard 1 – Learner Development. The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
Learning Styles
Clipboard: Students will be provided with a syllabus that outlines course/unit expectations and assignments. Students will be provided with clear directions and dates regarding assignments. They will also use graphic organizers to help them plan their interactive timelines and iMovie.
Microscope: Students will pay close attention to both the content and language of Walden, analyzing how both elements contribute to the overall meaning of the text. They will be asked to do “close readings” in which they examine very small portions of the text, sometimes only focusing on single words or sentences at a time, then discussing how those smaller elements contribute to the “big picture” or major themes of the text. In this lesson, students will focus on specific events within the book that contribute to Thoreau’s experience and point of view.
Puppy: Students will work in pairs or in small groups before being asked to participate in class-wide discussions. This will give them the opportunity to share their thoughts in a “less intimidating” situation before opening up to the entire class. Students will also work in small groups to create Thoreau’s timeline, and the teacher will circulate the room while students are working to answer questions and provide feedback as well as positive reinforcement. The teacher will “check in” with students regularly throughout the unit, both through email and in person, recognizing that some students may need extra support.
Beach Ball: Students will have opportunities to focus on whichever passages/portions of the text they feel are most interesting and significant. Walden is a complex piece of literature that appeals to many on the individual level, as it honors and promotes independent thinking and autonomy. In this particular lesson, students will have a lot of freedom in brainstorming and designing their individual iMovies.
Rationale: Not all students learn in the same way, and that’s part of what makes a classroom such a creative, inspiring place! No student should feel forced to learn in a way that is not conducive to their needs or personality, which is why this unit is designed in a way that leaves room for all learning styles to be practiced.
Standard 6 - Assessment. The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their on growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher's and learner's decision making.
Formative: Students will draft their timelines using graphic organizers and then participate in a Gallery Walk to compare timelines and to check for understanding. Students will also continue posting blog entries.
Summative: Students will create two interactive timelines using HSTRY; in groups, they will highlight Thoreau’s experiences in Walden in a timeline and then they will work individually to create a timeline that highlights events in their own lives. They will compare the two timelines and then create an iMovie that focuses on a least one theme/commonality between their experience and Thoreau’s experience.
Rationale: This lesson will help students draw a connection between their own experiences and Thoreau’s experiences, helping them to understand the universality of the book’s themes as well as how Thoreau’s personal experiences and point of view lends to the power of the text.
Standard 7 - Planning Instruction. The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
Content Knowledge: (see content notes)
MLR or CCSS:
Common Core State Standards
Content Area: English
Grade Level: 11-12
Domain: Reading Standards for Informational Texts 6-12
Cluster: Craft & Structure
Standard: 6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Facet: Empathy and Self-Knowledge
Standard 8 - Instructional Strategies. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
MI Strategies:
Verbal: Students will continue reading Walden on their own, focusing on the final chapter, "Conclusion."
Visual: Students will create timelines and an iMovie.
Musical: Students may include music in their iMovies.
Kinesthestic: Students will move around while participating in the gallery walk and they have the option to film themselves doing something active for their iMovie.
Intrapersonal: Students will work on their own to create their iMovies and will continue reading and reflecting in their blog posts.
Interpersonal: Students will work in groups to create Thoreau's timeline.
Naturalist: Students will be exposed to Thoreau's observations of and discussions about nature within the context of Walden.
SAMR: Students will create two interactive timelines using HSTRY (Augmentation) as well as create an iMovie (Modification). Furthermore, students will use a simulator/video game of Walden as the lesson’s hook (Redefinition).
Rationale: Students will be able to include text, images, video, and sound as well and change the theme of their interactive timelines. With iMovie, they will be able to include live video footage as well as still images, text, and audio. The Walden game will allow them to “be” Thoreau in a virtual environment.
NETS STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS
a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Rationale: 1 a,b,c: Students will be encouraged to think innovatively and inventively while playing the Walden video game as well as when creating their iMovies. They will explore real-world issues (in direct relation to their own lives) while planning and creating their iMovies. Students will reflect upon each of these experiences and processes.
2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS-S.
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching
Rationale: 2 a, b, d: Students will use a variety of digital tools to promote learning and creativity. Students will assess their own progress by completing self-evaluations at the conclusion of the lesson, and they will be provided with two forms of summative assessment (timeline and iMovie) in this lesson.